Home > News > July 2004 > 15-Jul-2004

Could you be the first on the scene of a disaster and save a life?

The British Red Cross is launching a unique corporate team building and personal development event, taking place 4th - 6th August 2004 in Bramley, Hampshire. The Red Cross Disaster Response Challenge has been developed by the British Red Cross Emergency Response Unit, to offer a team development course for staff, that simulates the real-life challenges faced by the Red Cross Emergence Response Unit (ERU) in a disaster scenario.

Built around a hypothetical disaster that unfolds in real time over a two-day period, the Disaster Challenge tests the most calm and practical of people. The course is designed to take delegates out of their comfort zone and into an environment where in real life their decisions literally are a matter of life and death.

Rebecca Payne, Senior Fundraiser at the British Red Cross said: "The Disaster Challenge offers a unique opportunity for delegates to experience first hand the issues and decisions faced by the Red Cross Emergency Response Unit in a disaster situation - something that only a handful of people get to experience in a lifetime."

The Disaster Challenge is run by members of the British Red Cross ERU, experts in Disaster Response logistics and experienced professional trainers specialising in team building and personal development. Participants will receive regular updates from instructors as the 'disaster' unfolds, and working in teams, they will develop their own 'Disaster Response Plan', which will be assessed at the end of the course.

The course is designed to develop leadership skills and enhance self-awareness, whilst teaching delegates decision making and problem solving skills in a pressured environment. Modules cover topics including logistics, communications, first-aid and casualty evacuation, dealing with 'risky' situations and basic survival skills.

The role of the Red Cross ERU is to respond as quickly as possible to a humanitarian disaster whenever and wherever in the world it may occur, offering practical help and hope to people in crisis. The British Red Cross ERU was deployed in Bam, Iran, in December last year, following a large-scale earthquake affecting 150,000 people, where it played a vital role in assisting those affected by the disaster.

Delegate places cost £500 each and costs include all course materials, meals, accommodation, and a detailed personal development report for each individual written by an expert. The British Red Cross aims to raise £25,000 in support of their Disaster Fund through this event. The Disaster Fund enables Red Cross services to be mobilised within just one hour of an emergency taking place anywhere in the world. This ability to respond immediately to disasters can mean the difference between life and death to thousands of people each year.

For more information visit the Red Cross website

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